Trump lobbies for health care bill
President says he plans unspecified changes as more GOP critics speak out
Disputing media reports WASHINGTON that the Republican health care bill is in political trouble, President Trump said Friday he is “100% behind” the plan and is working with skeptical conservatives to fashion a replacement for Obamacare.
“We are going to have a health care plan that’s second to none,” Trump said during a meeting with a group of conservatives known as the Republican Study Committee, some of whom criticized the initial House proposal as too much like President Obama’s Affordable Care Act.
Saying he is working on possible changes to the bill, Trump said of his GOP guests: “These folks were ‘ no’s’ yesterday, and now every single one is a ‘ yes.’ ”
Later in the day, in a joint news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Trump said, “It’s all coming together ... it’s coming together beautifully.”
The president did not specify what kinds of changes he would back, but RSC Chairman Mark Walker, R- N. C., said the bill will be revised to include work requirements for able- bodied-Medicaid recipients and to ensure tax credits cannot be used to fund abortions.
Getting members of the RSC on board is not the last hurdle in the House. The House Freedom Caucus, a few dozen hardline conservatives with some overlap to the RSC, tweeted Friday morning that its members still do not support the legislation “in its current form.”
The Freedom Caucus is expected to introduce an amendment aimed at getting enough of its members to support the current legislation while still satisfying moderate conservatives. If the amendment is not included in the final legislation, Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows, R- N. C., told reporters Wednesday that he believes there are enough votes to stop the bill from passing the House.
Freedom Caucus member Rep. Gary Palmer, R- Ala., was in the meeting with Trump on Friday. Palmer was one of three conservatives who voted against the legislation in its current form during a House Budget Committee markup Thursday. The bill moved forward narrowly, 19- 17.
Four Republican governors added their voices to the chorus of opposition to the bill Friday, saying it fails to give them the flexibility or resources they need to adequately deal with the insurance needs of lower- income Americans. Govs. Rick Snyder of Michigan, John Kasich of Ohio, Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas and Brian Sandoval of Nevada said in a letter to congressional leaders they had been “encouraged” by statements made by the president that he would work with the governors to help address the “diverse needs” of Medicaid recipients, but the House bill “does not meet this test.” “It provides almost no new flexibility to the states, does not ensure the resources necessary to ensure no one is left out, and shifts significant costs to states,” they wrote.
Several Senate Republicans have also criticized the plan.
Trump said part of the problem is that the “press has not been speaking properly about how great this ( GOP plan) is going to be.”
“It’s all coming together ... it’s coming together beautifully.” President Trump